149 / 808
V
E'ß.13.
Epbeflans,Chap.I.
'117
in
thevanitie
ofyour
mindes.3.The
order
in
which this
benefit did befall
them,
which
is
to be gathered from the
ptecedencieoftwo other.
r. Of
hearing. z.
Of
beleeving.
The
hearing
is amplified
from
the
objeét,
which
is
propounded more
indefinitely ;
the
word
oftrutb;
expounded
more diftinétly,
the
Gofpell
of
falvatien.
The
fccond
thing going
be-
fore ir,
is
faith;
in
whom alfa
having
believed.
q..
The 'aft
thing,
is
their
benefit,which
was
their
fearing,
in
which
we confider.
r.
Their
leafing.
2.
The
feale
and
fealer,
viz.
the
Spirit ;
fet
downe
more generally from
his
holineffe,
inherent
to
his
perfon; from this eternal' circumflance,
tliathewasthe
fpiritfore-
promifed.In the fourteenth
verfe he
is
defcri-
bed
more particularly, from
that refped
in
which'
he
is
to
the Saints,
viz,
an
earneft,
&c.
The
fumme.
As we in
Chrift
have beene thus bleffed,fo
in
him
even
ye Gentiles,finners
;
when ye
had
heard the word
of
truth, the Gofpell
of
your falvation,
in
him
I
f
1,, even yee,
when
ye had nor
heard onely,
but
alto
believed,
were fealed
wi
h
the holy
fpirit,
which
had
beene
before promifed
unto
life
eternal'. To
omit the
firft
circumftan-
ce,
which bath met
us
before,
and
the
fecond
alto, which doth
give
occafion
to
confider
what
impure perfons the Lord
doth choofe to
fanEtifie
;
we will come
to thethird
and
fourth
points propounded;
firft
handling the general' circumftances
of
them ; fecondly, touching thofe
things which may by the way be pointed
at
in
them.
Tewwhth
you
had heard,
were
paled
with
the
firis.]
Obf. How God,
by
hearing
his
word, doth bring
us
to be
partakers
in his fpirit.
Hearing
is
every
where
made
the
beginning
of
our comming to God
;
He
that
heareth, and
learnethgom
the
father,
lohn 6.
tfye
have
heard and learned
Chri
fi,
as
the
truth
is
in
chrifi,
Ephef
4.
a
I.
The word bath
beenro
fruitfull
in
you,
from
what
time
you heard,
ere.
Col.
t.
This was
the
fenfe by
which
fil
ft.
death entred
;
Eve
hearing the Serpent, was reduced
:
and
this
is
the
fenfe
by which
we
are reftored. Looke
as
the ground cannot be
quickned with
fruits, till it receive feede, and
the
dewes from heaven
;
no
more
can
our foyle
be
quickned with
the
fpirit and fruits
of
the
fpirit,
till
by hearing
it
hath
taken
in
this feede
immortali, drunke
in
this
heavenly fhower
of
Gods word.
Now
it is
not
every hearing
which
is
accompanied with the fpirit, bur hearing with
the
heart,
fo
as
the heart
is
affrâed
to doethat
it
heareth.
There
is a
hearing:with
the
care
bodily;
thus
many may heare,
who
doe not underftand,and Ergo,heare,and
doe
not heare.
If
our-
landifh men were
here,
fuch as
did onely know
their
owne forraine language
;
we
might
talkeloud enough
in
Engli(h,
not
fearing
their hearing
of
us.
There
is a
hearing joyned with underftand-
ing, when yet the heart
is
not
affeéted
to doe
after it
;
and
this hea-
ring
is
no hearing alto
:
Ifone heare
us
asking him
to doe this or
that, if
he have
no miede
to performe
it, we
fay, he cannot heare on
that
fide
:
It
muff,
Ergo,
be fuch hearing
as
Lydia
heard
with, whole
heart
God
opened
to attend to
Pauls
preaching.
The Vfe
of
this is,
to
let
us
fee,that wherethere
is
much
hearing, yet
the word
is
not there
heard
as
it fhould be
:
Who
commeth
to
have
his
N
g
heart
Dea.aò
Y
T.